Josh
The cobblestone pathway stretched out ahead of him. He wasn’t sure how he’d gotten there, or even where he was. It always started that way. He just was.
The red and orange earthen tones of the stones under his feet swept forward in a twisting, winding swirl of colors that seemed to stretch on forever, never reaching an end. Columns of marble rose up at regular intervals on either side of him, lining the way. At the top they arched out and over the top of him. Light seemed to emanate from within the marble itself, providing a soft, soothing glow that overpowered the darkness beyond, keeping it at bay.
He frowned, looking behind him, but all he could see was more path. There was nothing back there, he knew that. He was still compelled to check, to ensure that there was nothing he had missed, that might provide him with guidance as to where he was to go. After all, the pathway in front of him was always just as empty.
No. That isn’t right.
There, in the distance, he could see the pathway rise, climbing a hill.
And at the top, a figure.
It was her.
Again, he didn’t know how he knew, but he did. She was there, and his bear knew it. The beast roared and fought against his control, trying to go to her.
Hair a dirty-blonde draped down her back, pulled into a low ponytail, just enough to keep it from falling back across her shoulders. He couldn’t make out much more at that distance, though with her back turned to him as it always was, he knew there wasn’t anything more to see.
He could run, like he was now, without realizing it. His feet pounded across the stones, propelling him forward in a dead sprint as he tried to close with her. Although the columns to either side flew by, she never seemed to get any closer.
Movement to his left caused him to slow, as the shadow resolved itself into the shape of an animal he knew, despite never having seen one before.
Werewolf.
His bear surged forward, overwhelming his mind as it recognized its mortal enemy. The strength of its anger caught him off guard, surprising him so much he didn’t react in time. The huge beast ripped forth from his skin with a bestial bellow that echoed in the strange world he was in.
Now he was in the backseat, taken along for the ride as the power of his animal closed with the lithe creature in front of him. The wolf, no more than a lighter shade of black against the backdrop outside of his cobblestone world, didn’t move.
As his bear charged between two columns, leaving the lit pathway behind, it screeched to a halt. It realized its mistake as more forms resolved themselves from the darkness in numbers too vast to count.
The colossal titan—nearly two tons of muscle and lethal fury—skidded to a halt, emitting a completely undignified high-pitched noise, and beat a hasty retreat to the pathway. At the same time, the entity that was his bear relinquished its hold on his body, allowing his human mind to regain control.
Wuss.
The wolves, for whatever reason, couldn’t come into the light. They stayed outside, beyond his columns, his protection.
Or my prison.
Now that was a weird thought. He didn’t feel like he was in a cell, held against his will. Did he? The more he thought about it though, the more it seemed that way. His world was so confined, well-defined and laid out for him. He appreciated the fact that his world existed, while the world outside his protective columns seemed blank.
But the truth was, there was so much more out there than there was inside.
Except her. She’s in here.
His eyes snapped around to look down the pathway, the stones blending into each other as he sought her, far off in the distance.
There.
With a frown at the shapes still dancing around in the darkness, he resumed his jog forward. He tried to come closer to the woman, the one he knew to be his.
His mate.
His bear growled and pushed him forward faster and faster, urging him to get there. Time was running out! He didn’t know why that thought came to him, but a glance over his shoulder told him that was the truth. The columns were crumbling away, and as they did the light emitting from them faded.
And on came the wolves, howling and snapping at each other as they chased after him. The darkness grew closer, gaining on him much faster than he was approaching the hill where she stood. Determined not to fail this time, he found another gear within himself and ran faster than he had ever run before. Finally the hill began to come closer, and the darkness fell further behind.
“Shit!” he shouted aloud, skidding to a halt as the pathway ended abruptly.
In front of him, there was a gap easily thirty or forty feet across. It was too much for him to clear in a jump.
Behind him the darkness closed in. The wolves rippled, and suddenly they flowed together, their shadows merging. They rose up and over him, blotting out all remaining light. Yet somehow he was able to see as the giant wolf maw opened. Teeth as black as night came at him, each easily twice his size.
He shouted his defiance until they snapped closed over him.